Newburyport Today

Cape Ann Fresh Catch Community Supported Fishery

 

Newburyport-Today stopped by the Parking lot next to the Chamber on Friday to pick up our Fresh Catch of the week.  We weren't fishing off the public docks, we were handed off two whole cods out of the back of a truck, and no we weren't worried at all!  We are one of about 80 families who are participating in the Cape Ann Fresh Catch CSF.  "A CSF reconnects people to the ocean that sustains them and builds a rewarding relationship between fishermen and shareholders."  The short of that long is that we get fresh fish weekly, and get to get them directly from the fisherman that fish our local waterways.  The CSF is a cooperative effort brought to you by the Gloucester Fishermen's Wives Association (GFWA), MIT SeaGrant and the Northwest Atlantic Marine Alliance, Cape Ann Fresh Catch (CAFC).   

The CSF connects people directly to the fisherman in a way that is lost when you stop by a fish counter at a supermarket.  This direct connection helps people see where there food comes from and allows fisherman the opportunity to fish locally using less resources that is in turn more environmentally friendly.  It's a connection that we were happy to whiteness in person as folks lined up to pick up their fish for the first week.

Participating families can buy a full or a 1/2 share for the 12 week program that stated last Friday (folks still interested can still sign up for a pro-rated plan).  This fish will vary week to week according to availability for the first week, the catch was Cod.  Full share's received two 4-5 lb fish and half share's received one.  The fish were "gutted and gilled" but the filleting was up to the shareholders.

Some seemed more enthusiastic about getting the whole fish than others!  There was lots of advice on the website about how to fillet the fish, and in addition folks were invited to Hana Japan for a filleting lesson.  Shareholders need only to show up between 9 and 10 on Saturday mornings and a cutting board, knife, and expert help will be provided.  

Please check back with Newburyport Today on Friday to see our latest What's for Dinner where we will share what we made with our Cod.

Tooting our Own Horn

 

Thank you to North Shore Magazine for including Newburyport-Today in Bryan McGonigle's article on the "Staying above the Fold".  Special thanks to North Shore Magazine editor Jack Morris who was an eager and early supporter of our efforts on this site.  To read Bryan's full article, CLICK HERE

Eye on Inn Street By Esther Sayer

Hello everyone,

Well the summer is rolling by! YHC is over but the crowds are here still, and that's a good thing.
New shops on Inn Street are doing well Englands ice cream and Cross-stitching are bringing them in.
Of course every now and then we lose some businesses -Aurora Womens Clothing and Pumpkin Patch Childrens clothing are closing.  Best of luck and thank you to Susan Zampell and Liz Cullen on your retirements, you have both worked very hard and have been tremendous destinations in our city. Enjoy some new adventures!
Hard to believe were looking at going back to school already, so beat the rush and get shopping early and often!!
Enjoy the rest of the summer.

 

Ciao,

Esther

Green Head Report from the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge

Are the Greenheads here yet?  Are they bad this year?  What are those black boxes we see in the Marsh?  Why are those little guys so vicious?

            Every year we here at Parker River National Wildlife Refuge get hundreds of calls asking us about the infamous greenhead fly.  Named for their giant green eyes, beach goers and birders alike often find them intolerable.  They sneak up, they swarm, and ouch they bite, but they are really very important to our ecosystem. 

             The greenhead fly (Tabanus nigrovittatus) is a cousin to the black flies and horse flies that you might be more familiar with.  Having hatched and developed quietly in the salt marshes they reach adulthood around mid July each year then, they emerge into marsh and beach habitats feeding until to early August.  While adult greenheads only live those 3-4 weeks, the females make good work of consuming blood in that time to help with the production of anywhere from 300-6000 eggs a year.  And they don’t do it gracefully like other blood sucking insects.  Female greenheads tear out a chunk of skin and lap up the blood with their tongues.

             Don’t want to be greenhead food? There are a few things you can do to help yourself.  The first thing to know is that greenheads tend to swarm if you are in your car, or sitting on the beach.  Some think this is because they are attracted to quadrupeds (animals with four legs).  In other words, greenheads see your car (with it’s four tires) or you sitting close to the ground and confuse you with their favorite meals.  Wearing dark colors also seems to draw them close, so don your light summer colors when heading out to green head territory.  Keep your car windows closed because they will come inside.  Greenheads don’t move very quickly when it is cooler, so if you are going for a walk, make it early in the day.  After that we recommend that you fend off greenhead as you would any other biting or stinging insects.  Stay away from sweet smelling perfumes and deodorants, where long sleeves and pants, put on bug spray, and don’t forget your hat. 

           

            Why don’t we just kill them you ask?  Well, some people do.  Those black boxes you see in marsh lands are actually green head traps.  The green heads are drawn to them because they have four legs and are dark in color. (Like those quadrupeds we mentioned before.)  They fly under them trying to bite their bellies, but the boxes are hollow inside (opening on the bottom.)  When the greenheads fly in looking for a snack, most of them aren’t quite smart enough to get back out. 

            Here at the refuge we do not use green head boxes.  While we are getting bitten too, we understand that those pesky flies play a very important role in our ecosystem.  Many animals such as birds, crabs and even fish depend on them as an important source of food in the springtime.  Without the greenheads many of these animals would be forced to look somewhere else for food and we would miss their presence even more than one might predict. 

Mary R Carpenter
Park Ranger - Visitor Services Specialist
Parker River National Wildlife Refuge

The Pink Angels

Newburyport resident Pat Greeley is an inspiration.  As part of the Pink Angels she has helped to raise over a Million dollars for cancer research. Pat lost her sister to breast cancer and her sister's brave battle against the disease pushed her to involve herself in being part of the cure.  The Pink Angels has more than 60 members, some are survivors, some walk in memory of loved ones, like Pat.
Newburyport Today caught up with the Pink Angles during one of their training walks (in preparation fo the 3 Day upcoming on July 24th). We visited with them during their lunch break at Joppa Flats. The power and commitment of the group was apparent, as Pat said, "In the short time you were with us, I’m not sure you could understand or feel the bond between us, but I do hope you did 'feel' a little bit of our good vibes."  We certainly did. 
The group has been together since 2005 and has members from all over the North Shore. Each group member commits to raising at least $2,300.00 --- The money is raised through a letter writing campaign, yard and bake sales, and a comedy night. 
We hope that you will consider making a donation to this amazing group.  Click HERE